Twilight's Library
by Dawndragon the Storyteller
Summary: In the aftermath of Tirek's attack, Ponyville is left without a library. Twilight Sparkle takes it upon herself to change that. Soon, the whole town has something to contribute to her project, and the ponies of Ponyville discover what happens when ponies pull together and help one another in this one-shot.


Twilight sat alone in the throne room of her castle, staring out the window towards the spot where the Ponyville Library once stood. It had been almost a month since Tirek had attacked Equestria, and Twilight had been busy lately with official business. Now, she was enjoying a rare moment of peace and quiet. For some reason, her thoughts always strayed back to the library, which had been destroyed in Tirek's attack.

_Of all places to be destroyed, why the library? s_he wondered. It saddened her to think of all the memories connected with that building; all the times she shared with them there; all the lessons learned there in that cozy tree-house.

Of course, Twilight, being the egg-head she is, was also upset by all of the books being ruined as well. She had been able to salvage a few from the wreckage, but there was still a significant amount lost. How sad it was that the nearest library was now in Canterlot! That was a thought that pained Twilight the most about this whole ordeal. She would not- could not -stand here doing nothing about it.

"Spike!" she called, searching for her companion. Soon after, the purple and green dragon came rushing into the room. "I'm here!" he announced, skidding to a halt just in front of Twilight. "I need you to write something down for me," she told him. Spike was happy to oblige, producing a piece of parchment and a quill.

"_My Dear Friends here in Ponyville,_

_You all know of the tragic fate that has befallen our beloved library. A massive collection of records and literature was lost when Tirek attacked Ponyville. It simply would not do to have a town without a library, so I have decided to change that._

_In order to begin rebuilding our town's library, I am launching a new project. This will take many helping hooves in order to be a success, but I'm sure we can pull it off should we come together with whatever we can offer._

_We will need ponies to donate any books they think would be better used in the new library. We will also need help re-creating the records that were kept within the library. And if you have any books that were checked out during the attack, please bring them to me so I can account for them!_

_By no means is participation in this project mandatory, but I encourage you to help in any way possible! If you wish to help, please come by my castle and see myself, Spike, or anyone else in charge here. Thank you in advance!_

_Your Faithful Princess,_

_Twilight Sparkle"_

Spike finished writing, then looked up at Twilight. "That's a rather ambitious project, eh, Twi?" She nodded. "It is. If we get enough help, we ought to pull it off." Spike nodded uncertainly, rolling up the parchment until it was a neat little scroll.

He began to leave, then he noticed that the princess's gaze had returned to the window. "You miss it a lot, don't you?" he asked her, referring to the tree the had once called home. Twilight nodded wordlessly, a tear rolling down her cheek. "As much as everyone else likes this new castle, it will never truly replace the old library," said Twilight. Spike put a hand on her back. "I know exactly how you feel," he told her, emotion filling his voice. He left soon after, carrying the scroll with him.

Soon, word had spread about the princess's ambitious plan. Ponies all over Ponyville talked about it nonstop.

"Can it work?"

"I certainly hope so!"

"Boy, am I glad I decided not to return those overdue books last month! They'd be gone for sure!"

"Are you planning on donating anything?"

Eventually, ponies began to act upon Twilight's request. And just about everyone in Ponyville had something to contribute. The Cakes donated some cookbooks that they rarely used. "I have most of these recipes memorized anyways," Mrs. Cake told Spike as she handed over the books.

Rarity gave Twilight some romance novels that had been sitting on the shelves in her boutique for ages. "I never can find the time to sit and read them anymore, with all the orders I'm getting," Rarity said, mostly to convince herself, as she watched a handsome stallion on the cover of one novel as it went in with the rest of the donations.

Zecora was happy to give her copy of _Supernaturals_ to the cause. "This fine book has served me well; it may serve others better- who can tell?"

Rainbow Dash shocked Twilight by donating her entire collection of _Daring Doo _books. "Rainbow Dash! Are you sure you want to give them away?" Twilight asked, stunned. Rainbow Dash hesitated, then nodded. "I'm sure. I mean, other ponies should be able to enjoy them, not just me. Besides, I can always check them back out again."

The Apple Family was happy to help rebuild the historical records, especially Granny Smith, who was always looking for an opportunity to tell what she knew about Ponyville history.

Even the Cutie Mark Crusaders assisted the cause, helping to organize, categorize, and record the books. Unfortunately, no cutie marks for bookkeeping were earned. Still, they had fun in the process of it all.

The Mane Six ventured to the Castle of the Two Sisters to see what of its library could be used. They got a good number of books from there.

After about three months of all this, there were enough books to fill the ballroom of Twilight's castle. In fact, Twilight converted that room into the new temporary library, lining its walls with towering bookshelves. "This will do for now until we can find a permanent location for the new library," she told her friends after they had helped her set it up. They had gotten word from Princess Celestia that they would soon look into building a new library building in Ponyville. In addition to that, she had sent some books of which there were extra copies of at the Canterot Royal Library.

Twilight now sat alone in the throne room once more, looking out the window. She was still sad that her old home had been destroyed, but a new feeling had taken a hold in her heart as well. What was it...?... Accomplishment! She had achieved a massive goal that was no short of a herculean effort. But she had managed it... with the help of her friends.

Of all the Elements of Harmony, hers was the one that was the most powerful. One could move mountains so long as you had enough help. Twilight smiled, suddenly feeling less alone...


End file.
